Apple may have flirted with the low end of the streaming-TV market.  The company considered a low-priced streaming-TV dongle, similar to Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick or Amazon Fire TV Streaming Stick, according to a Wednesday report by The Information, citing people familiar with the matter. The device could have served as a lower-priced entry point …

Apple quietly bought artificial intelligence startup Silk Labs, according to a report. The acquisition occurred earlier this year, The Information reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed source. Silk Labs specializes in developing on-device AI software, meaning it doesn’t have to communicate with the cloud, where companies potentially would have access to huge amounts of personal data. The San Mateo, California, company …

Instagram is looking to change up profile pages. The Facebook-owned company said on Wednesday that you might see features rearranged on your profile page in the coming weeks. Icons, buttons and tabs may change, though content on your profile grid won’t change. This comes as Instagram tests different changes to improve user profiles “in phases and different combinations,” Instagram said in a …

Now that you’re seeing Black Friday ads for dirt-cheap televisions and hearing about the best prices yet on the best TVs, you might finally be tempted to upgrade that old set.  After all, TVs have gotten really, really good. Performance we could have only dreamed about just a few years ago is now commonplace. Cheap TVs look good; high-end TVs …

iPhone assembler Foxconn intends to slash 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) from its costs next year, according to Bloomberg. Foxconn, which is the primary manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones, predicts that 2019 will be a “very difficult and competitive year,” Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing an internal company memo. The company cuts include a 6 billion yuan ($865 million) reduction in its iPhone-related …

It’s been a long four months for Australians looking to purchase items from Amazon’s US site, after the company announced it would block Australians on July 1 due to a tax law. The restrictions appear to now have been lifted, as the company had updated its systems to comply with the goods and services tax required by Australia’s federal government, …

Still thinking about getting a decent VR headset? Holiday deals are starting to emerge. The existing Oculus VR hardware, both PC and mobile, is getting a Black Friday price drop, joining other VR deals on PlayStation VR and HTC’s pricey Vive Pro. Oculus Go: $179 ($20 off) The Oculus Go, released in March, is a rock-solid mobile standalone headset that’s …

Upgrading to a new phone can be plagued with ambivalence. Sure, it’s exciting to upgrade to your phone to something new and powerful, but it can also be painfully expensive. Not so much Black Friday week. If Verizon is your carrier of choice, you’ll be able to snag a new phone from Google, Apple, Samsung or LG for up to …

Last year, Windows 10 ($144 at Amazon) added the space-saving ability to send local files to OneDrive with the Files On-Demand feature. With it, you can right-click on a file you have stored on your PC and move it to OneDrive. The file gets uploaded but leaves behind a placeholder in File Explorer, which you can click to download and …

Sprint’s Black Friday deals are live now, bringing sizable discounts on iPhones and Samsung phones, the Apple Watch, LG V40 phone (how about a free TV bundle worth $500?) and a gaggle of smart speakers.  These deals are best for existing customers, and unlike some offers from big retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart and Target, offers are contingent on …

The wave of nostalgia created by Pokemon: Let’s Go is about to get even bigger. An upcoming Tamagotchi will let you raise an Eevee you can evolve into one of its eight secondary forms, Pokemon site Serebii confirmed Wednesday. In addition to evolving Eevee into Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporean, Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, Leafeon or Sylveon, you can get Eevee in a Team …

Amazon said Wednesday it accidentally disclosed some of its users’ email addresses and names, but has since patched up the problem. “We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted,” an Amazon spokesman said in a statement. It said the information was shared inadvertently due a technical error, and its website and systems were not breached. …

Time to cut the cord! Apple AirPods look just like the Apple EarPods that came with your phone — minus the wires. Of course, that cord-free freedom will cost you: AirPods list for $159, and discounts are rare (and usually small). But, yay! Black Friday is coming and that means deals on everything, right? Well, kinda-sorta… ish? Sam’s Club had a great …

We’ve seen some amazing TV prices on Black Friday. Big 4K TVs, probably HDR, for lower prices than ever.  Walmart is selling a 40-inch TV for $100. Target has a 55-incher for $200. Best Buy is selling a massive 70-inch TV for $700. And that’s just the beginning. The prices sure are impressive, but that doesn’t mean the TVs will …

The US Federal Communications Commission will once again tell consumers if they’re actually getting the broadband speeds touted by internet service providers.  But you’ll have to wait a little longer for the nitty-gritty details of which carriers are making good on their advertised promises and which aren’t. The FCC, which hasn’t released its Measuring Broadband America Report since 2016, has …